Culture and Cultural Diversity in Sustainable Development: The Nigerian Experience

Abstract

The study investigates the importance of culture and cultural diversity in sustainable development in Nigeria. The paper examines the concepts of culture, cultural diversity and sustainable development and affirms that culture can be used as a stabilizing agent and an effective tool for arresting the tide of poverty, unemployment and misery. Culture also enhances progressive human development, creativity and in crease productivity, the paper reveals that if Nigeria wants to move away from its present chaotic and violent condition, building culture into development process is the only remedy. This is because culture is the values, attitudes and behaviours that reflects and inspire social interaction and sharing based on the principles of freedom, justice, respect for human rights, tolerance and solidarity, that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation. The paper affirms that culture creates employment, preserves the resources and strengthens the resilience of communities in the face of disasters, culture is truly major and irreplaceable. This paper also reveals that development interventions that are responsive to the culture context and the particularities of a place and community, and advance a human- centered approach to development, are most effective and likely to yield sustainable, inclusive and equitable outcomes. The paper suggests the involvement of the communities in policy-making to safeguard their cultural heritage, promotion of inter-culture dialogue to ‘harness social cohesion, integrating culture in the conception, measurement and practice of development. Culture should be put at the centre of the sustainable development paradigm to allow for greater diversity in policy choice. Culture is the central pillar of sustainable development, therefore, cultural diversity in Nigeria should be seen as an asset rather than a burden.

Key words: Culture, cultural diversity and sustainable development.